Virginia high school students posted higher reading and writing scores than the national average in 2009, but were slightly below the national average in math.

Almost 60,000 students in the commonwealth took the SAT and posted an average reading score of 511, 10 points higher than the national average, and a writing score of 498, five points above the nation's score. But Virginia students earned an average math score of 512, three points below the national average.

The state's scores were almost identical to those earned in 2008, when students posted an average of 511 in reading, 512 in math and 499 in reading. The maximum score for each test is 800 points.

Ninety percent, or 47,100, of the state's SAT takers were public school students. About 6 percent of the state's test takers attended religiously affiliated schools, and 4 percent attended independent schools.

Here's how Peninsula school districts that reported results fared on the 2009 SAT:

NEWPORT NEWS

More than half the district's Class of 2009, 1,056 students, took the SAT last year. The number is up slightly from 2008.

Both Denbigh and Heritage high schools saw more seniors taking the tests while Woodside, Warwick and Menchville participation declined.

Despite the rise in test takers, the district's scores declined, wiping out gains made in 2008. Students earned an average reading score of 465, down from 473. Their math score was 453, down 11 points from 2008, and their writing score was 452, off nine points from last year.

The district was in line with state and national trends, with more minority students taking the SAT in 2009 than in previous years.

More than half the district's test takers were black, a 7.2 percent increase over 2008. Districtwide reading scores for black students remained the same for both 2008 and 2009. The math scores decreased by seven points over the same time period.

District spokeswoman Michelle Price said Menchville's black students outscored their peers at the state and federal levels, with reading scores 20 to 22 points higher than the reading averages and math scores 11 to 12 points higher.

"Having more students who are preparing for college is a logical result of our long-term efforts," Superintendent Ashby Kilgore said of the district's attempts to encourage more minority students to take college entrance exams.

Hampton followed the state and national trend of lower SAT participation, with 60 fewer students taking the tests than the 705 who did in 2008.

The district's combined average score for the three tests bumped up a point from last year, from 1,399 to 1,400.

It saw a four-point gain in the average reading score, which rose from 467 to 471, but drops of one and two points for writing and math, at 455 and 474 respectively.

Kecoughtan High School beat Bethel, Hampton and Phoebus high schools in every category, with a reading score of 502, writing score of 481 and math score of 506. Its combined average score dropped two points to 1,489, but the school still had the overall top score.

Hampton High was the only school with lower test scores in every category, with drops between 17 and 32 points in writing, reading and math. Its combined average score fell 67 points, from 1,413 to 1,346.

Bethel High posted higher scores in each category, gaining 11 to 19 points in each. Its average rose 43 points over last year, from 1326 to 1369.

The combined average score at Phoebus High rose six points, from 1,350 to 1,356. Students posted a seven-point gain in reading at 456 and a point in math at 460, but dropped two points in writing at 440.

YORK COUNTY

Fewer students took the SAT in York County, but scores in all categories rose or stayed the same from 2008 to 2009.

A total of 672 students took the test in 2009, down from 721 in 2008. The average writing score of 517 stayed the same, while reading scores rose from 533 to 539 and math from 530 to 532.

In comparison to state and national averages, the district's combined average of 1,588 for the three tests was above the national average of 1,509 and the state average of 1,521.

Grafton High School had the highest average score at 1,601, followed by York High at 1,592, Tabb High at 1,580 and Bruton High at 1,563.

POQUOSON

Sixty-six percent of Poquoson High School's 224 seniors took the SAT in 2009, which was down from 74 percent of the seniors in 2008.

Scores for 2009 rose in math and writing but fell in reading. The average math score increased from 524 to 540, and writing from 509 to 512.

Reading scores dropped to 516 from 527 in 2008.

WILLIAMSBURG-JAMES CITY

Almost 20 percent fewer high school students took the SAT last year, but their scores were higher than those of the Class of 2008, and bested both the state and the nation.